Skeptic Review

Alt-Right or alt right (noun) A political movement originating on social media and online forums, composed of a segment of conservatives who support extreme right-wing ideologies, including white nationalism and anti-Semitism.

Ex: the face of the alt-right; an alt-right candidate.

Antifa (proper noun) Shortening of Anti-Fascist, a radical political movement that opposes fascism and other forms of extreme right-wing authoritarianism.

Ex: Saturday’s rally had the support of Antifa, whose sworn enemy is the far right

Cuck (noun) US informal; A weak or servile man (often used as a contemptuous term for a man with moderate or progressive political views).

Ex: If you think I’m a cuck or a shill for wanting to make America great again, you might want to rethink your worldview.

Dox or doxx (verb) (doxed or doxxed, doxingor doxxing). Slang; To publish the private personal information of (another person) or reveal the identity of (an online poster) without the consent of that individual.

Ex: The professor was doxed by a bitter student who failed her class.

Fascism (noun) A governmental system led by a dictator having complete power, forcibly suppressing opposition and criticism, regimenting all industry, commerce, etc., and emphasizing an aggressive nationalism and often racism.

Ex: She is aiding fascism by condemning Antifa.

Fascist (noun) A person who believes in or sympathizes with fascism; a member of a fascist movement or party; a person who is dictatorial or has extreme right-wing views.

Ex: That television interview revealed him to be a fascist.

Gender binary (noun) A classification system consisting of two genders, male and female; a concept or belief that there are only two genders and that one’s biological or birth gender will align with traditional social constructs of masculine and feminine identity, expression, and sexuality.

Ex: There’s still work to be done in dismantling the gender binary.

Gender-fluid (adjective) Noting or relating to a person whose gender identity or gender expression is not fixed and shifts over time or depending on the situation.

Ex: We recognize and honor gender-fluid identity.

Gender-neutral (adjective) Noting or relating to a word or phrase that does not refer to one gender only.

Ex: Firefighter and flight attendant are gender-neutral terms.

Intersectionality (noun) The theory that the overlap of various social identities, as race, gender, sexuality, and class, contributes to the specific type of systemic oppression and discrimination experienced by an individual; the oppression and discrimination resulting from the overlap of an individual’s various social identities.

Ex: Her paper uses a queer intersectionality approach.

Ex. The intersectionality of oppression experienced by black women.

Mansplain (verb)  (of a man) to comment on or explain something to a woman in a condescending, overconfident, and often inaccurate or oversimplified manner.

Ex: He mansplained to her about female friendships.

Microaggression (noun) 1. a subtle but offensive comment or action directed at a minority or other nondominant  group that is often unintentional or unconsciously reinforces a stereotype; the act of discriminating against a nondominant group by means of such comments or actions.

Ex: microaggressions such as “I don’t see you as black.”

The diversity committee discussed the issue of microaggression toward women on campus.

Post-truth (adjective) Relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.

Ex: ‘In this era of post-truth politics, it’s easy to cherry-pick data and come to whatever conclusion you desire.

Courtesy English Oxford Living Dictionaries: After much discussion, debate, and research, the Oxford Dictionaries Word of the Year 2016 is post-truth – an adjective defined as ‘relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief’

Red pill (noun) Used to refer to a process by which a person’s perspective is dramatically transformed, introducing them to a new and typically disturbing understanding of the true nature of a particular situation.

Ex: I had no real idea what horrors these animals suffered before getting to my plate. Then I took the red pill, and now I can never go back.

Snowflake (noun) Informal, derogatory; an overly sensitive or easily offended person, or one who believes they are entitled to special treatment on account of their supposedly unique characteristics.

Ex: These little snowflakes will soon discover that life doesn’t come with trigger warnings.

Social Justice Warrior (SJW) (noun) Disparaging; a person who advocates a progressive orthodoxy, often on the Internet, especially involving the treatment of ethnic, racial, gender, or gender-identity minorities.Trigger warning (noun) A stated warning that the content of a text, video, etc., may upset or offend some people, especially those who have previously experienced a related trauma.

Ex: A blog post with a trigger warning for rape.

Troll (noun, verb) Digital Technology, informal; a person who posts inflammatory or inappropriate messages or comments on the Internet (especially a message board) for the purpose of upsetting other users and provoking a response.

Woke (adjective) Slang, (often used in the phrase “stay woke”) Actively aware of systemic injustices and prejudices, especially those related to civil and human rights.

Ex: In light of recent incidents of police brutality, it’s important to stay woke.

He took one African American history class and now he thinks he’s woke.

Xenophobia (noun) Fear or hatred of foreigners, people from different cultures, or strangers; fear or dislike of the customs, dress, etc., of people who are culturally different from oneself

Ex: Xenophobia and nationalism can be seen as a reaction to the rise of globalization.

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SOURCES

Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2017.

English Oxford Living Dictionaries.